Connecting and Catering to the Cluttered Christian Community
What Makes SHOUT IT Ministries Special?
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
“It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen…It isn’t what you do but how you do it….Make everyday your masterpiece.” John Wooden
Websites and buffet tables. There two entirely different things right? Wrong. Actually, they are more alike than you would be led to believe. Like buffet tables, there is a vast amount of different types of “content” that cater to everyone on the web. With any buffet table, you’ve got to serve tasty, satisfying “content” to keep them coming back for more. In the Christian community, there is massive amounts of information available on the web covering apologetics, discipleship, worship, devotional readings, and current news. If it’s not appealing, it wouldn’t be “consumed” and instead left on the table growing cold. There’s also the fact that if you give out too much “content” in a small amount of time; the people you’re catering tend to fill up too quickly. It’s better to steady but surely supply your “content” at a reasonable pace. And lastly, desserts are usually saved for last when eating from a buffet table. Likewise with a website, there is a certain amount of time needed to grow, expand, and improve the overall “content” until it reaches a point where your patience and anticipation is rewarded with something sweet. What’s my point? A website needs to set itself apart from the pack, create a brand image regards if you’re selling a product, service, or idea, and ultimately achieve an acquired aim of why it exists in the first place. And this website is in existence for a reason as well.
What makes SHOUT IT Ministries here at http://www.shoutitforlife.com unique? I believe now is the time address and answer this question. Believe it or not we’re quickly approaching Year 3 of SHOUT IT Ministries and have come quite a long ways since then. Here are the seven main reasons on why SHOUT IT Ministries is distinctly set apart from your usual blogging website you’ll find on the internet:
Christ as the Cornerstone Over a Constructed Concept (Authenticity)
The main vision and underlining goal of SHOUT IT Ministries is help you the reader and participant on this site to grow closer in your walk with Christ. The slogan: “Know the Truth. Live the Truth. Be the Truth.” is an essential principle in the Christian life. Essentially, Christ is the truth (John 14:6) and our purpose here on earth is to draw closer in a deep, intimate relationship with God, living in a way that reflects his love to others, and ultimately becoming like Christ. The popular worldview of the church today is to fall in love with the “idea” and “concept” of Christ along with His teachings. We spend our days singing about Him, reading about Him, talking about Him, and listening to others talk about Him–but that’s as far as we get most of the time. Being a follower of Christ is what Francis Chan calls, “Crazy Love.” It’s because of the profound truth that the God of the universe loves us more than we can possibly imagine that we can’t help but respond back with a burning passion to love Him back. Put simply, it’s all about relationships between ourselves, others, and God. This is the heart and soul of SHOUT IT Ministries to make love our cry and calling in every compartment of our lives.
Capturing Content that’s Challenging and Convicting (Aspiration)
“Content is king” is the number one principle taught to new and aspiring bloggers. It isn’t rocket science. If you don’t write material that is useful, interesting, and relevant than your blog will be left in the dust. The material you’ll find at SHOUT IT Ministries follows this logic, but takes it to another level. It isn’t enough just to give you want you to read. You also need content that you need to read. This is far more important! In other words, we can write on topics that make you feel good about yourself, boast your ego, and this website will soar to new heights in its readership and popularity. But at the end of the day, we have failed to fulfill my calling. What’s missing? Content that convicts the reader to do something. To get out of their comfort zone. To change their lifestyle. To make a difference. What you read may not always sit well with you. You may not always agree with the material you come across. This should happen from time to time. But keep an open mind to new ideas, concepts, and ways to view the world that you may have not thought of before. You wouldn’t find the same old fluff you find on other blogging websites here. We promise you this, though: The content is Biblically based, pertaining to the Christian worldview, and essential for your overall growth in Christ. Content may be king for website material, but Christ is the King of Kings. And that is where our focus needs to lie.
Creating a Colorful Culture of Creativity (Artistry)
Creativity may be the number one overlooked concept in regards to blogging these days. In the rush to keep material fresh and new, bloggers sacrifice the artistic look, feel, and design of their overall site. Here at SHOUT IT Ministries, creativity is an essential ingredient for growth and development. It isn’t enough just to give you the bare necessities and think that’s enough. It isn’t! As you may have observed in reading blogs and in this blog you’re reading here—Alliteration is more than just a cool fad, but an underlining theme here. Allowing many different viewpoints on Christianity is also a must. As more time passes, it is my vision to create a entire community of bloggers who share the Christian worldview in their own unique style and voice. This website itself will continue to improve visually and in featured content. Good isn’t good enough. Being satisfied with the status quo is not acceptable. Also having fun should be encouraged not discouraged while visiting a blogging site! Often times, bloggers keep so caught up what they’re doing that they forget to have fun in the process. If we’re not having fun in what we’re doing, then most likely you aren’t either with your time spent on a website. Essentially, creativity is more than just a concept but a culture that needs to correspond into everything we partake in with SHOUT IT Ministries.
Communicating the Core Components of Christianity (Altogether)
Christianity can be seen as simple as it gets in regards to how to live your life and incredibly complex at the same time. While focusing on one specific topic of Christianity isn’t wrong; here at SHOUT IT Ministries we believe that it is critical to form a solid worldview of all aspects of the Christian walk. The core principles/components are as follows: Stand Up, Holiness, Outrageous, Unite, Thankfulness, Integrity, and Tell Them. Each covers the essentials that need to be carried out to fully life for Christ and in to walk in His ways. These components are relayed through the many different ministries that are set in place throughout the website. Each is distinct yet holds true to same foundational principles. It’s not enough to say, “Love your neighbors” , “Give to the poor”, or “Read the Bible”. Without a solid foundation of why these practices are important, how to go about doing them, and what else to build around these actions–you’ll be left with a incomplete picture of the Christian worldview. This is not to say that every single topic or answer concerning the faith can be found here. Instead, we’ll address the core components that help form a solid and complete picture of what a walk with Christ looks like. The information is limitless, of course, on what can be covered. And that’s what makes SHOUT IT Ministries unique. We’re not just focusing in on one specific area of Christianity, but on the grand scale of things. This allows for continual growth, development, and unlimited possibilities! And gives you the reader, a means to form a worldview that is solid Biblically; enabling you to live the life you were meant to live.
Choosing to Care with Compassion and Character (Appreciation)
Another often ignored aspect of blogging is allowing the readers and members of your website to voice their opinions. Share their thoughts. Having a sense of belonging. Shouldn’t this be the overall whole purpose of writing blogs in the first place? Make no mistake, it does take a lot more effort, time, commitment, and drive to make this possible. As with SHOUT IT Ministries, we want to create a community of believers who share their thoughts on the Christian worldview, their opinions of current topics, ideas on how to reach others in need, a place of prayer for those hurting and in need of comfort, and fellowship and grow with one another. This more than any other part of SHOUT IT Ministries will take time. And lots of it. But the tools and resources are there and it’s only a matter of putting all the individual parts together to make this possible. But know this–we care about you the reader. Your opinion matters. If you don’t like something–let your voice be heard. If you want to read about something–share it with us. Have an idea for a ministry? We’ll be more than happy to hear about it. Have a prayer request. We’ll lift you up in prayer. To talk about the Christian worldview means nothing, if we ourselves are not committed to carrying out the message we proclaim to. We choose to make a conscious decision to care about you and create a place where feel like you belong. This is our appreciation proclamation!
Cultivating Catalysts in the Church to Reach the Community (Application)
There are many blogs out there today that don’t require or necessarily need to be followed by with application. But most are written with a very common theme: Do something! Whether it be to buy a product, try a new hobby, watch a television show, vote for a certain candidate–you name it. With SHOUT IT Ministries, application isn’t a suggestion–it’s an absolute must! If you only come to read the content, get your daily dose of inspiration for the day and do nothing in response–then all the work and passion put in this ministry is in vain. Action is required and a large part of your growth as a follower of Christ. It’s not enough to say you believe something, you must visually show it as well. This is not about earning salvation, but responding to God’s love with love for others. As time marches on, there will be more features, examples, methods, and ministries that help you as the body of Christ to reach your community, those in need, and the mission fields across the world. “Faith without works is dead” is the overall message from the book of James, and we at SHOUT IT Ministries believe this to be wholeheartedly true. Our vision is to help you more in helping those you have a heart for close by and around the world.
Conveying Changes with Constant Contact (Awareness)
Lastly, blogging websites usually provide poor communication skills to their audience. Usually they’re left in the dark on what the message they’re correlating (purpose), what they hope to achieve (vision), and what’s upcoming next (goals for the future). Here at SHOUT IT Ministries, nothing important worth noting is kept from you. Future blogs, content, features, and updates will be clearly communicated to you. Changes in the visual design, the overall principles, or anything else we deem critical is passed along to you. With is being said, growing pains are a part of the process. There are times when targeted dates will not be met and changes will be made on the fly. But we strive to be constantly in contact with you in many different ways to keep you informed and educated on what’s going on here at SHOUT IT Ministries. Questions are always welcome at any time. A sense of awareness is important and critically for growth and success for any website and it’s no different here either.
Closing Clause that Confirms Our Commitment
As we move in Year 3 of SHOUT IT Ministries, I hope you’re as excited and anxious for what’s in store this upcoming year as we are. It’s been quite a journey to this point, and the best is yet to come! God’s dream for this ministry is far from being complete and it’s been a humbling experience to reach where we are today. I hope you’ll find the catering here to your delight, and above all that it’s what you need to help you in your spiritual growth in Christ. The “content” that we serve only promises to be more rich and satisfying in taste with time–just stay patient and you will be rewarded! You may still wondering what the aroma around you is all about with SHOUT IT Ministries. It’s never too late to grab a plate and help yourself to the appetizers available. The main course, along with the mouth-watering desserts on their way as time marches on. There is always more room at this table. So make yourself at home. This is one dining experience where the food never goes stale, never grows cold, and is always delicious. Well, what are you waiting for? Dig in!
The Shout that Left No Doubt What He Was About
The Evidence and Significance of the Resurrection: Prophecy’s Purpose (Part 2 of 5)
Thursday, October 13, 2011
“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:20-21
May 21, 2011 was to most people just another day on the calendar. To Harold Camping and his followers it was the end of the world. He predicted that the Rapture would take place that Saturday and the world as we knew it would cease to exist. As the hours passed and his bold prediction fell through, Harold told reporters that he was “flabbergasted” that the Rapture did not occur and was “looking for answers.” His followers were just as devastated. Now Camping is reinterpreting his prophecy towards the upcoming date of October 21 claiming that the Rapture and destruction of the world will take place simultaneously then. The chances of this prediction being correct? I’d say not very good if I were a betting man….(Update 10/22: It didn’t happen…once again this proves we cannot know. Our God knows!)
Failed predictions are most notably identified in regards to end of the world dates and there is a 100% failure rate of these predictions to this point. (Since we’re still here!) Most of us can recall the panic from the doom and gloom from the Y2K bug. And the latest flurry of panic to hit the sound waves is the so-called Mayan Prophecy. This doomsday date will take place on December 21, 2012. Literally dozens of books have been written about it, documentaries have aired, and even a movie simply titled, 2012, have put yet another man made prophecy, under the microscope. But there’s more predictions being made that also fail other than those that address the end of the world.
Las Vegas thrives on gambling and for the “sports universe” betting on the outcome of games is where the money is to be had. Each football game in the NFL has a spread of points between the two teams on who is going to win and by how much. Before the start of every season, there are odds given on who will win the World Series, Super Bowl, or NBA Finals. Betting on a “championship” caliber team is seen as the safe bet and those willing to take a risk bet on teams that have very little or no chance of winning it all. If we knew the outcome of games and seasons; then the industry of gambling wouldn’t exist, now would it? So gambling is a huge craze with sports fans these days to see who can beat the odds.
Predictions come in all shapes and sizes. There’s astrology horoscopes that give forecasts on what a certain day, week, or year will look like for you according to your zodiac sign(birthday). Psychics and hand readers claim they can predict your future through looking into a crystal ball or the palm of your hand. Stock brokers take risks by buying stock that is low in value in which they perceive will make a sizeable profit in a few years. Entrepreneurs enter the business world set on fire trying to sell a product or service that in their mind is the next biggest thing.
Predictions are everywhere and more times than not they’re wrong. Why? The obvious answer is no one knows the future except God. We may have reasons to believe a certain outcome will come about due to past experiences or evidence that supports our theory, but that doesn’t guarantee its success. Coming up short of what we perceive is common place in our lives and in society today. Why do we crave to know future events? More than likely, we want to be able to touch and feel what we can’t see. Or we’re afraid of what might come to pass, and need assurance that everything will turn out alright. There’s even the notion that if we know future events we’ll have all the control and power, similar to the fictional character, Biff Tanner, in the movie, Back to the Future Part 2. Truth of the matter is we don’t the future and that’s just reality. God on the other hand, does, and for this reason we would be wise to listen to what He says.
Open the pages of the Bible and you’ll find that God doesn’t shy away from making predictions and lots of them. There’s entire books such as Isaiah and Jeremiah that are devoted to prophecy. If God knows everything already; then why does He bother with giving prophecy to us through His prophets? To boast His ego? (Which He has every right to do so!) Not necessarily. The prophecy we find in the Bible is given for our benefit. Prophecy confirms the following:
- The Bible is indeed true and thus the Word of God
- Give us hope for the future yet to come
- Reassure us that God’s promises are always true and will come to pass
- Jesus Christ is who He said He was
When one begins to read through different passages of the Bible, images of Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection keep coming up. The entire Old Testament was a story of preparation of making the way for the Messiah we find in Jesus Christ. Many atheists and agnostics question the Bible’s authenticity claiming that it’s nothing more than a bunch of fairy tales and wishful thinking. They’re often quick to overlook the prophets words that leave absolutely no doubt who they’re talking about.
No one who is educated and has examined the historical documents of the Bible can dispute that the Old Testament was written well before Jesus’ time here on earth. There’s no way getting around this truth whether we like it or not. All were written at least 400 years before Christ’s birth. Some were in the time frame of a millennium or more before the events we read about in the New Testament Gospels. And these prophecies were not written by one person–but by many authors throughout Israel’s history. Such as King David’s Psalm 22, that is considered to be prophecy about Christ’s death. The books of Zechariah, Amos, Isaiah, Daniel, and Malachi also make many references to the coming Messiah.
Here is a small sample size of prophecies fulfilled by Christ. The prophecy is the verse on the left and the fulfillment of that prophecy is on the right:
- The seed of Eve would crush Satan (Genesis 3:15, Matthew 1:23)
- He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:1)
- He would be a descendant of King David (Isaiah 11:1-5, Matthew 1:1)
- He would be from the Tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10, Luke 3:23-24)
- He would begin His ministry in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1, Matthew 4:12-17)
- He would enter Jerusalem while riding a donkey (Zechariah 9:9, Luke 19:35-37)
- His own people would reject Him (Isaiah 53:3, John 1:11)
- He would be betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9, Matthew 26:49)
- The price of His betrayal would be 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12, Matthew 26:15)
- His betrayal money will be used to buy the potter’s field (Zechariah 11:13, Mathew 27:7)
- He would be silent before His accusers (Isaiah 53:7, Matthew 27:12)
- He would be struck and spit on (Isaiah 50:6, Matthew 26:27)
- He would be wounded and bruised (Isaiah 53:5, Matthew 27:26)
- His side would be pierced (Zechariah 12:10, John 19:34)
- Wicked people would pierce His hands and feet (Psalm 22:16, Luke 23:33)
- He would thirst (Psalm 69:11, John 19:28)
- His heart would rupture (Psalm 22:14, John 19:34)
- He would suffer execution without breaking any bones (Psalm 34:20, John 19:33-36)
- He would be buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53:9, Matthew 27:57-60)
- He would die 483 years after the declaration of Artaxerxes to rebuild the temple in 444 BC (Daniel 9:24)
- God would resurrect Him from the grave (Psalm 16:10, Acts 2:20-32)
Jesus Christ fulfilled 60 major Old Testament prophecies along with 270 additional ramifications as well! If you’re counting that’s over 300 prophecies! Jesus wasn’t the only Jew to be born into the Tribe of Judah, be born in Bethlehem, and be buried in a rich man’s tomb. So is it possible to believe that it was all mere coincidence? The probability factor comes into play here. According to Professor Peter W. Stoner, in an analysis that was found to be sound by the American Scientific Affiliation, he states that the probability of just eight prophecies being fulfilled in one person is 1 in 1017 (that’s 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000!) If you were to take that amount of silver dollars and spread them across the state of Texas you would not only be able to cover the entire state, but also pile it up two feet deep!
It is utter nonsense to reason that eight Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah could have come true in one man by mere chance and Jesus Christ fulfilled 60 major prophecies in His lifetime! I could give you more astonishing probabilities of having certain prophecies fulfilled, but I imagine you get the picture of how incredible these implications truly are. As we saw earlier, we tend to predict things wrong–more time than not—and we’re generally predicting things that are to take place within our lifetime. The prophets of the Old Testament were given visions about the future that wouldn’t take place for hundreds upon hundreds of years–yet each one came to pass through Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection.
What does this imply for you? First, it further confirms that Jesus Christ is who He said He was. God gave us these prophecies so we could be confident in the truth that Jesus was His Son and the perfect atonement for our sins. Also it gives us profound evidence that the Bible is indeed the very Word of God. Fallible human beings could not have possibly known these future events without God speaking supernaturally through them. Another outcome of these fulfilled prophecies is hope for our future. We are forgiven because of Christ’s death and resurrection and now given access to a relationship with God that will last for eternity. Finally, we can know that when God promises something; He never fails to follow through. His promises are secure even when our present circumstance suggest otherwise.
Prophecy found in the Bible is all pointing to one person and that person is Jesus Christ. As Rob Robinson states:
“It has been said that if a person is really paying attention, they can find Jesus on every single page in the Bible. Either in a type, a symbol, and example or in the story itself. John (the disciple) was told that the entire purpose of prophecy is Jesus. Jesus Himself said that ‘In the volume of the book is written of me.’ If we understand the Bible correctly, Jesus intended that we know that everything in the Bible is of a prophetic nature and that the entire Bible itself has the sole purpose of revealing Jesus to the world.”
Over 2,500 prophecies have been estimated to have been fulfilled currently with 1,000 yet to come to pass. We can be assured beyond a shadow of a doubt that each and every one will be fulfilled exactly as God said they would. A whole other discussion could be made on the many prophecies about the end times and how some are happening at this very moment! But we’ll save this discussion for another time. Ultimately the decision is yours to make. Will you put your faith and trust in this man claiming to be the Christ? He is worthy of following? Harold Camping, Nicodemus, religious leaders from past and present, stock brokers, psychics, and astrologists may get it right on occasion. Alas, though, they are limited in their knowledge about future events. Prophecy tells us this: God doesn’t play games. When He speaks, you’d better listen. And what He speaks will always hold true. God promised You can bet your life on it!
Radiant Reflection: This week’s lesson is to help you get a firm understanding on prophecy’s purpose given to us through the Bible. These questions will help you better understand these core truths:
1) What is your opinion of making predictions about end of the world events? How about betting on sporting events? Why do you believe this to be so?
2) What memorable predictions either made by you or others stick out to you? What happened? What came as a result of the prediction? What did you learn? How did you grow from the experience?
3) What prophecies fulfilled by Christ are most memorable to you? Why are they memorable to you?
4) Name the four main reasons God provides us with prophecy. Which reason has strengthened your faith the most in your walk with Christ to this point in your life and why?
5) Take some time in prayer thanking God for giving us prophecy and affirming His truths we find in His Word. Also thank Him that His promises are secure and He will never fail to follow through on them.
Can You Hear Me Now?: This week’s challenge involves more journaling. Write down all the areas of your life that you’re struggling to trust God with. It may be your future in general, finances, relationships, job, free time, or love life. Then hand them over to God. Find passages of Scripture of God’s promises, write them down, and put them in a place where you’ll be reminded of God’s faithfulness every day. Ask God in prayer to open your heart towards trusting Him more. In conclusion, examine your heart and develop a more open surrendered walk with Christ starting this week.
Future Features: Obviously it’s been quite awhile in between blogs posted and for that I apologize. The past several weeks have been very trying for me and it’s been hard getting back in the flow of things. I’m hoping and praying that we’ll finally be able to get this series rolling and come to its completion by early November. Next week, we’ll continue this series with Part 3 on the theories of Christ’s death made by skeptics and address the errors of each one. There’s plenty of updates on what’s to come. I suggest reading the 2nd edition of “Features of the Fall and Future” and checking out the Future Features sections for the various ministries to firm understanding of what’s upcoming in the next several months. Thank you for your patience and I look forward to continually working and improving SHOUT IT Ministries!
Sources: Josh McDowell/Sean McDowell, The Unshakable Truth. Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon: 2010, Pages 193-197
http://100prophecies.org/page3.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Camping
http://www.bibleprophecyupdate.com/http:/www.bibleprophecyupdate.com/signs/the-purpose-of-prophecy/
Focusing on the Features for the Fall and Future (Second Edition)
Saturday, October 8, 2011
For every dream that sets the bar high, is vast in scope, and worth pursing– there are many setbacks, trials, failures, and periods of rejection. For the dream of SHOUT IT Ministries this has held true. From when it all began in April 2009, to this website being launched in mid-November of 2009, to the present day–I’ve been hit hard will all kinds of setbacks, frustrations, and failures. This year thus far has presented me with some of my hardest tests yet–this website going down and nearly being lost in late March, a summer of health problems and symptoms, a very busy summer in starting a new internship job, my Grandpa passing away this September, and a rough start to a quickly moving fall. What am I getting at? I’m choosing to view these hard times of my life as a blessing in disguise. Why? Here are some of the main reasons:
- Through SHOUT IT Ministries, my faith has grown immensely. My eyes have been opened to what the problems are in the church and what needs to be addressed. My aim isn’t to blast the church, but to help restore it to God’s original design.
- My passion and enthusiasm for relaying the truth, telling others about Christ, and this dream that God has given me is continually being fueled by the fires I’ve gone through. Now I know, behind a shadow of a doubt, that this is my calling and the plan God has set for me to do with my life.
- I’m using my gifts and talents for God’s glory. I love to write and my desire is for others to know Christ personally in order for them to be able to live life to the fullest. I’m also creative at heart and SHOUT IT Ministries is a where I can use my abilities to further the kingdom of Christ. I truly feel alive with the work and dedication I commit to this project!
- Finally, through failure and setbacks I’m learning what works, what doesn’t, changes that need to made, and how to do things more effectively. The foundations are slowly being built and now the details are slowly being put into place as time moves along. Right now, SHOUT IT Ministries is going through some growing pains, but they are necessary nevertheless….
It’s incredible how far SHOUT IT Ministries has come in just a few short years! But the vision of where I want to be to where I am currently is still a long way from coming into fruition. There is much work to do, goals to set, and many people yet to be reached. But let’s now turn our focus to this upcoming fall and also get a brief look at next year. We’ll look at each separate ministry individually:
Weekly Blogs:
- The series on the Evidence and Significance of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ began in early September and since has been put on hold due to a very trying period for me personally. It will resume early next week (October 10) and finish around early November. Thank you for your patience!
- In mid-November through mid-December we’ll look at the different seasons of the soul—which I think you’ll find quite interesting! We’ll mainly be going through the book, Spiritual Rhythm, by Mark Buchanan. This series will probably be composed of 4 or 5 blogs and bring us to the end of the 2011 year.
Profiles:
- It’s been a tough year in finding time to write Profiles. Each entry takes a ton of research, time, and dedication. There hasn’t been one written in over 4 months and only 3 for the entire year–which has been frustrating to say the least!
- For October, the next Profile will be on Christian author and speaker, Beth Moore who was originally targeted in late August. To finish the year we’ll look at the lives of Akiane Kramarik, Colton Burpo, and Mother Theresa.
Kaleidoscope/Wending the Way/RAW:
- These ministries are what I call the “perspective” ministries each from a different writer: myself with Kyle’s Kaleidoscope, Alicia Wendland with Wending the Way, and Brian Shooks with RAW. There is no set schedule put in place for these three ministries because I want inspiration and revelation to be the driving force behind them. There will be dry spots, but if a new blog entry has been posted–you’ll know about it that same week.
Shout Out to the Silver Screen:
- Since this summer marked the birth of this ministry, it’s still going through some growing pains. And the amount of time that I wanted to dedicate to it has now been increased by a few months. But I am getting a feel for how much work is required on a week-to-week basis, and I feel like the foundation is being set in place with the first case study of the Toy Story trilogy.
- We’ll conclude our look at the Toy Story trilogy in the months of October, November, and the beginning of December. During this time you’ll be challenged with trivia, get a behind scenes look at how the movies were made, be able to see photo and video collections of the three films, and read four more Real of the Reel blogs on the life lessons we can take away from Toy Story.
- The short mini-series on the theme of dreams **see below** is being pushed back to next November-December due to being so far behind with the case study on Toy Story. Plus it’ll help me avoid a burn out and take a break from this ministry.
Truth’s Transformation:
- This ministry has been stuck in neutral after being launched early this year. Why? One major reason is time commitment. I simply don’t have time to commit to writing new blogs. I spent the past few months looking over the vision and goals of this ministry again. I felt it was vital to just start over and re-launch.
- I’m making a few big changes to Truth’s Transformation. First, the blogs will be shorter. With all the other ministries already in place, I feel I may be overwhelming you (the reader) too much. The answer may be to give you bits and pieces instead of a large amount of information all at once. Also the blogs will be more frequent as time goes on. The original re-launch date keeps being delayed, but I’m hoping next week (week of October 10) is when it’s finally up and running again.
- We’ll start with the “S” of the Mission Statement (Stand Up) and progress through the SHOUT IT Mission Statement from start to finish; instead of trying to tie it in with the weekly blogs as originally planned.
SPECIAL:
- Just like the Truth’s Transformation, this ministry was launched early in the year and has been put on the shelf for the past several months. The same reason applied here with the lack of time to dedicate to it, along with a lack of a clear vision moving forward. Similar to Truth’s Transformation, I’m re-launching SPECIAL and essentially starting over.
- Changes are also being made to SPECIAL. For starters, this ministry will be more weighed towards blog entries. I am also condensing the material down and writing smaller blogs so you’ll be able to stay on track in order to make progress in the self-discovery of who you are. There will still be personal questions for you to answer and application provided as well.
- We’ll begin with looking at each of the seven principles of SPECIAL getting a strong overview for each one. In late October, we’ll first we introduced to the ministry as a whole as I feel it’s necessary to refresh the concepts and ideas of SPECIAL before jumping in. The first series titled: “Establish Your Identity to Engage” will begin in late October and run through next February.
Other News:
- As you may have observed, the navigation bar has been radically changed and has been updated these past few months. Not only is the look distinctly different, but you’ll find that the navigation itself is better. Each Profile is now on its own page. Just click on that person’s name and you’ll be redirected to their Profile page. The 2010 Profiles can found once you scroll on the page, “Profiles 2010″ or by clicking on the Profile names within the page itself.
- The Kaleidoscope blog entries are sorted now through time periods of three months and are presented in chronologically order. The ministries of Wending the Way and RAW will follow this format as the content begins to add up over time.
- Shout Out to the Silver Screen is going to be the first ministry of SHOUT IT Ministries to have its own separate website! I recently purchased a new domain name and will begin working on the look, design, and navigation for this website. This new website will launch next year in direct correlation with the launch of the case study on the Harry Potter series **more information on this below** My vision is make http://www.shoutitforlife.com the home base for all the ministries and eventually begin to have a separate website for each of the larger ministries.
- The Topics Page name has been changed to Future Focus. The reasoning behind this is quite simple–since I end each weekly blog with a Future Focus section, why not change the pages where I outline the upcoming features to that same name? The Future Focus pages can be found under the About Page along with the Mission Statement, Weekly Blog Blueprint, and Contact Me Page.
- Finally, the Contact Me page will be undergoing some changes, most notably I’m adding a contact form to make it easier for you to contact me. Look for the new Contact Page to be unveiled in late October/early November.
A Quick Look Ahead to 2012:
- Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve begun to plan out the 2012 year for SHOUT IT Ministries. For the weekly blogs we’ll begin a 3 month series on Spiritual Awakening covering topics such as attaining vision, changing from the inside out, and experiencing revival personally, in your church, and in your community starting in January and ending in early April. Then after the Easter holiday, I am excited to announce that we’ll begin an EPIC, full-scale series on Heaven, Hell, the afterlife, and eternal matters! This will take us through early November. Then we’ll wrap the year up with the application of taking what we’ve learned and gaining an eternal perspective on life. For more info
rmation on this blog series read my recent blog on Heaven on the Kaleidoscope ministry main page. It’s titled, “The Purpose Driven Pursuit for a Person AND a Place and was posted on August 2. I hope you’re excited as I am for these life changing series in store for 2012! - The other big piece of news for 2012 is next year’s case study for Shout Out to the Silver Screen will be on Harry Potter movie franchise. This will start in mid-May and run through the month of September (possibly longer if needed). I realize the massive amount of material that needs to be covered (8 movies!) but I’m determined to make the most of it. It is such a beloved franchise and I strive to give it the passion and detail it deserves. I will also address why I believe that the Harry Potter books/movies are not “satanic” or “evil” as some in Christian circles have accused it of being when the series begins. The movies on the “theme of dreams” that was originally set for the end of 2011 will be moved to 2012 and are as follows: It’s a Wonderful Life, The Rookie, Dead Poets Society, and Up. The November-December months starting in 2012 will be dedicated to a theme that ties in with a set of movies.
- The Profiles for next year are roughly sketched out for next year and can be found on the Future Focus page under Profiles. Next year we’ll be looking at the lives of Colt McCoy, Kirk Cameron, Josh McDowell, and Hillsong Music to name a few!
Got all of that? I realize I just gave you a TON of information and it’s likely you may have gotten lost on a few details. You’re more than welcome to re-read this blog if necessary! If you have questions–please let me know(my e-mail address is below). Remember that I will continue to clearly outline what’s upcoming each month in the weekly blogs and in the Future Focus pages.
**It’s been a rough year in sticking with what I originally planned and set out to accomplish. Ultimately, it’s not I want to do–it’s what God wants to do through SHOUT IT Ministries that is important. It’s been a struggle as I’ve gone through this challenging year, but undoubtedly it’ll be worth it when it’s all said and done. I’m hoping to slowly get back on track with all ministries by the time the year closes. You have a right to be frustrated with the many delays and setbacks, and I am too. Just know that I am determined to see through the vision for SHOUT IT Ministries that God has revealed to me come to fruition. Stay patient and I promise you that the wait will be well worth it! Thank you!! **
In conclusion, I want to continually emphasize that I am working hard towards improving SHOUT IT Ministries and reaching more people with each passing month. Numbers aren’t the ultimate goal, though. It’s the truths that are learned, spiritual growth that is shown, and lives that are impacted that ultimately matter. I am thrilled and blessed to have shared this journey with you the past few years! It is incredibly humbling that God has entrusted me with such a wonderful and promising ministry. I can’t wait to find out what God has in store for the rest of this fall and beyond! If you any questions or comments please contact me at: mailto:kylej317@gmail.com. God Bless!
The Message We Magnify and Why It Matters
The Evidence and Significance of the Resurrection: Hope’s Foundation (Part 1 of 5)
“Sit with me and tell me once again
Of the story that’s been told us
Of the power that will hold us
Of the beauty, of the beauty
Why it matters” Sara Groves
“The resurrection of Jesus is the central point of the Christian religion..Evidently everything quite simply depends on the event of the resurrection of Jesus.” Gerd Ludermann, atheist
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Bill Maher isn’t afraid to let his opinion be known. As a stand-up comedian, he is highly critical of traditional views and faith in general. His documentary film titled, Religulous, released in 2008, was targeted at attacking organized religion; especially Christianity and belief in the Bible. Maher claims to be agnostic and opposed to Judaism and Islam faiths as well, but believes in “some force” that exists in nature. As with Seth MacFarlane and other comedians he views Christianity as old fashioned, childish, and a “bunch of fairy tales.” On the CBS Early Show with host Harry Smith, Maher was questioned about why he rejects the Christian faith. Here is an excerpt of what he said:
“These myths, these silly little stories that they believe in fundamentally, that they take over this little space in Jerusalem where one guy flew up to Heaven—no, no, this guy performed a sacrifice here a thousand million years ago. It’s like, who cares? What does that have to do with spirituality, where you’re really trying to get, as a human being and as a soul moving in the universe?”
Although Maher can be said to be quite ignorant of the facts or just plain repulsive he does bring up the question many unbelievers ask: “What’s the big deal about the resurrection?” What difference does it make if God’s Son died on a cross?” Was it really necessary?” And is there really any evidence at all that Jesus rose from the dead? Or is it simply a farce we’ve been misled into believing?” As Christians the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most foundational and key component of our faith. This goes without saying. Without the resurrection, Good Friday, isn’t Good Friday. It’s Black Friday and bears no reason to be on our calendars. And the Easter holiday we celebrate each year is a cruel joke.
The entire fate of the human race and creation for that matter rests of this historical fact. As Paul writes to the Corinthian church: “If Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.” (1 Corinthians 15:14 NLT) Basically, at point blank, there is no Christianity without the resurrection. Everything we do under Christ is in vain. We are still dead in our sins. Paul goes on to say: ”And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” (1 Corinthians 15:17-18) Everyone who has died in Christ is still dead. Those martyred for the faith have no reward waiting for them. And Christians are the most pitiful of any men because we have followed after a lie. Now let’s take a deeper look at the seven reasons why the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single most important event in history:
As we just say in what Paul wrote, without the resurrection there is no eternal life. Why? Because we are still dead in our sins and sin separates us from God. “Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone.” (Romans 5:12) The penalty for sin is death and if Christ didn’t raise from the dead He couldn’t have canceled our debt in our place. (Hebrews 9:11-12) “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil–” (Hebrews 2:14) And without eternal life we can begin to see the ripple effects of what else is lost…
A relationship with God becomes impossible without the resurrection. As Jesus told us, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) By this we can draw upon that every prayer under Jesus’ name is not heard because the communication is blocked by our sin. All acts of worship are nothing more than empty noise. Acts of kindness, love, and mercy are simple nice gestures that have no lasting value as we are still dead in our sins. Without grace, it’s just good works. And we’re basically trying in vain to earn our salvation. Jesus’ claim of being the “the way” was false. Which brings us to the third reason:
Jesus isn’t who He said He was without His resurrection from the dead. He cannot be a “good” person or even one worth basing their moral values on. As C. S. Lewis wrote:
A man who said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: Or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. There is no middle ground. And if he didn’t raise from the dead He couldn’t possibly be Lord. Thus everything He said would have to be considered to be false and a bold faced lie. Or He was just crazy and completely out of touch with reality. It is through the resurrection that Jesus confirms His deity and identity as the Son of God who was blameless before His Father.
Next, we can make the conclusion that without the resurrection of Christ the Bible cannot be trusted. Thus it is full of lies and nothing it contains is actually from God Himself. Paul reflects on this when we writes: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) The prophets were wrong and misled the people of Israel about the coming Messiah. The Old Testament, which is clearly pointing towards Christ from start to finish—has no substance. The implications of no resurrection, keep getting higher and higher as we move along…
With no resurrection, God has no power over death. God isn’t who He claims to be. He isn’t worth worshiping or pursing for that matter. Satan ultimately wins and rightly owns our souls. We are all our one way ticket to hell. But if we find that the resurrection is indeed true we have gained victory out of the clutches of death: “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:56-57) God claims to be the truth and He’s claim can only be confirmed through raising His Son from the dead!
Our purpose, meaning, and significance are all found in the fact that Christ rose from the dead. As we’re seen from the previous reasons without the resurrection: There is no eternal life, Christ isn’t who He said He was, God isn’t all powerful over death, the Bible is false, and thus we cannot have a relationship with God. Everything we do stays with us in grave. Yes, we may impact people’s lives, but sure enough we will be forgotten and everything we did will have been in vain. A legacy cannot last without the promise of eternal life! Our suffering and pain no longer carries any meaning. Every act of injustice is left unresolved. Child murdered through abortion are lost forever. The sun, earth, and universe are all going to eventually die out. We’re all headed for the same fate–death–and nothing more.
Finally, taking out the resurrection leaves us with no hope to carry on. A human being cannot cope without hope. It is critically woven into our fabric that we need and crave hope. The number one reason why people commit suicide is because they have lost all hope. It may be hope in their future. Hope in who they are and who they’re becoming. Hope for a brighter world. Hope for love, redemption, grace, forgiveness. Without hope there is only despair, depression, and doom. Through Christ’s resurrection we always have hope no matter what our circumstances. Even in the shadow of the valley of death, there is still hope because we are assured of eternal life, everlasting rewards waiting for us in Heaven, and being with God forever. Hope is the message of the cross only because Christ rose from the dead!
From these conclusion we can see why it matters. Most Christians know that importance of the resurrection, but fail to research and know the evidence behind it. There is a reason why Christians should be bold and outspoken for Christ. Because the evidence supporting the resurrection is incredibly overwhelming and its skeptics are the ones left grasping for something–anything–to refute their claims against it! It’s no coincidence that Christianity has stood the test of time against all odds, persecution, oppression, government system, world leader, and Satan himself. We are the ones who have the truth in front of us and there is no excuse of not knowing why you believe, what you believe.
What are some of the areas of evidence we’ll be looking at? First, we’ll look at prophecies from the Old Testament and Jesus Himself. Next, we’ll look at the empty tomb theories, examine the evidence, and see why they’re false. Finally, we’ll take a long look at the appearances, the disciples radically change in character, and the improbable rise of the church despite incredible odds. After putting together all the evidence, we’ll wrap it all together and draw a conclusion of why the resurrection of Jesus Christ changes everything.
The message that is magnified in the Christian faith matters…greatly. More than words can express. It is our the very foundation of hope we cling to each day. Without it, we are lost without a cause to fight for. With it, every action, word, and event in history has meaning. Purpose is found in every moment of every day. The human race can be reconciled and find redemption for their sins. Forgiveness can be found. Eternal life is available. Love does exist and wants to be found. The death and resurrection of Christ is our message and it does matter. The skeptics can scoff but they along with Bill Maher better take notice. Let the evidence speak for itself for a verdict is about to be decided…
Radiant Reflection: These questions will help you reflect and remember the essential truths of why the message of the resurrection of Jesus Christ matters:
1) Why do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Out of blind faith or is there evidence to support it in your mind?
2) What are the seven main reasons given above on why the resurrection is the foundation of Christian faith?
3) Why can’t Jesus be a good moral teacher if He didn’t rise from the dead? What do you think C. S. Lewis meant when he said that Jesus can be either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord?
4) Why do we need hope in our lives? And why does the resurrection of Christ bring us hope?
5) Why do you think that we’re led to believe that Christianity is a blind faith? Why is the resurrection so highly debated to begin with? Ponder these questions as we move forward into the evidence for the Resurrection.
Can You Hear Me Now?: Your challenge is this week is simple but I believe quite beneficial. Write down why you believe what you believe in regards to your faith. Specially the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It doesn’t have to be long, wordy, or be backed up with any outside sources. Write from your heart and also your mind. Then in prayer, ask God to begin revealing the evidence He has given us for why we believe what we believe in this short study and any other study you may choose to pursue. For the next several weeks, you’ll be doing some more researched base challenges and then applying what you learn from your findings.
Future Features: I hope you are excited for this series and the what we’re about to learn as I am. What we’re about to learn is so vitally important to our growth as Christians in building confidence that we have good reason to believe what we believe. Next week we’ll look at the prophecies about Christ and the resurrection. This series will take us through the first week of October. Hope you had wonderful Labor Day weekend. God Bless.
Sources:
Josh McDowell/Sean McDowell, The Unshakable Truth. Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon: 2010, Pages 277-279
Dr. David Jeremiah, Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World. Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee: 2009, Pages 228-230
Heard, Learned, Yet at a Loss for the Word
Learning, Living, and Loving God’s Word: Turning Memorization into Application (Part 10 of 10)
Monday, August 22, 2011
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:6-9
“Okay class you need to memorize this chart for your quiz tomorrow.” Groan. We’ve all been there. Throughout our education we were told that memorizing facts, figures, equations, and principles was important and essential to our intellectual growth. Most of the time we tried desperately to find ways to avoid the cruel practice of memorization that seemed useless and trivial to us. “What’s the point?” I’ve never going to use this information anyways?” Why can’t we take a multiple choice or true and false quiz/test instead?” But if we put the effort and hard work in, made the information important to us, and committed it to memory–the reward was remarkable. Not only did we do well when the big day arrived; we understood why we needed to go through this process in the first place. Yes, even memorizing math equations at times served a purpose and helped us along the way! Memorization was a key component to helping us along the way during our time growing up.
In the same way, memorizing Scripture verses has become a lost and even dreaded practice among the church today. Reading the Bible is difficult enough. Finding those who study it are rarer still. But memorizing Scripture? Who does that anymore? Once we reach a certain age, the emphasis on memorization of Scripture is pushed aside for more “practical” spiritual disciplines. Reading the Bible. Establishing a prayer life. Joining a church family. Serving others. Is there anything wrong these practices? Of course not. But along the way, we’ve forgotten the importance and vital practice of memorization of Scripture. We then can build the bridge from memorization to application. From the habit of memorizing Scripture we can learn the practice of mediation. From mediation we’ll be able to begin initiation of the Word in our daily life. And once we initiate the Word we’ll reach the ultimate goal–application.
Today we’re more than ever at a loss for God’s Word. As Howard Hendricks says, “Many Christians are like poor photographs–overexposed and underdeveloped. They’ve had plenty of exposure to the light of God’s Word. Yet what difference has it made in their lives?” Why is this the case? As we’ve seen over the course of this series, the first reason is that we don’t know the Word. You can’t possibly live out the Word, without first reading and studying it. Through reading the Word in our devotional time we take the time to observe what God is telling us. Through our time studying it we can make careful and insightful interpretations. Once you reach this point you are ready for the next step–application. But to reach the desired end point of application–you need to learn to practice memorization.
Why is memorization so vital for our spiritual growth? First, because it’s a powerful weapon in spiritual warfare. The more ingrained the Word is in our hearts, the harder it is to fall into temptation and the easier it is to fight the enemy’s lies. “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11) Along those same lines, the memorization of Scripture guides us into a life of obedience. As Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He used His knowledge of God’s Word against Satan in obedience to His Father: “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4). Another reason why memorization is vital to us is that we need to be prepared to defend and present the gospel to non-believers. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” (1 Peter 3:15) And lastly, because it is a key practice towards applying God’s Word into your everyday life. Now that we see why memorization is so important, let’s get in the practical side of how it’s done.
Just as we learned with our devotions and studying the Bible; there is no one way to memorize Scripture. Before you get started, though, keep these principles in mind. First, and most important, don’t start off with more than you can chew. There is no faster way to get discouraged and cave into defeat than expecting yourself to instantly be able to memorize an entire book of the Bible in one setting. This is unrealistic and the results are disastrous. Remember–start small. Pick a single verse and build off of the surrounding passage. Also you must value the practices of discipline and determination. Memorization is not a magical process that happens with little or no effort. There is a time commitment and it takes practice. It’s a skill that can be learned over time. Set a specific time each week to memorize Scripture. Perhaps during your devotional time or a 15 minute gap in your schedule that is open. Make sure you’re free of distractions and you’re able to clear your thoughts. Finally, keep yourself accountable with a close friend, family member, spouse, or mentor. Recite what you’re memorized to them and make it a habit to meet with them.
How to you decide which Scripture to choose? You need to make it a point to search for and memorize verses and passages that meet specific needs in your life. The purpose of memorization is to help you become more like Christ through the act of application. Ask yourself: What am I struggling with? If it’s lust–look for verses that address lust and the opposite trait–purity. Or impatience and patience. Greed and contentment. Once you find a passage or verse try and understand what the meaning is behind it. Read it over and over again until the message is loud and clear. Perhaps you could give the passage a name or title which will help you recall it easier. Next, write down the passage. This is very important and essential in the process of memorization! It can be in a notebook, on a note card; anything that helps you the most. It would be most beneficial if you carry with you this verse in your wallet, pocket, purse–so it’s with you wherever you go. A note card is probably the most practical in most cases.
Once it’s written down, recite it out loud 5-10 times slowly and thoughtfully. The more times you repeat it verbally, the better. Now begin to dictate the passage word by word, verse by verse. If it’s more than a few verses, it’s a good idea to spilt up the material by verses or sentences focusing on committing each to memory one at a time. Then go back and put them all together. Take your time and remember the first few times you learn new verses and full passages it will be awkward and difficult. After you have initially memorized your chosen passage, remember: repetition, repetition, repetition. How many times must you repeat the passage? At a minimum–100 times! Yes, that seems like an incredible big number, but over a long period of time it wouldn’t require much future work to maintain it.
Every week or other week, choose a new passage or verse and repeat the process. Keep adding your passages, putting the most focus on that week’s passage, while reviewing the previous week’s verses. Over a time period of a few months the passages you have reviewed for several weeks will require less and less time and soon become ingrained in your memory. Don’t assume you have committed a passage to memory and stop reviewing it. Make sure that at any point of any day you can recall it without hesitation. If you’re feeling overwhelmed try one of the following tips:
- Stop adding new material until you catch up.
- Review your strategies or the specifics of the overall process you’re using.
- Spend more time in reviewing your verses.
For more tips and techniques visit: http://www.memoryverses.org/how1e.htm. There is a wealth of information given here that I do not have the time to address in this blog.
After you establish a sound practice of memorizing Scripture you need to take what you commit to memory and turn into the action of mediation. Mediation is another word that sounds foreign and frankly scary to us. We usually associate mediation with Eastern mysticism; most notably in the highly popular mental gymnastics called yoga (as pictured here on the left). Mediation is then thrown to the curb and often ignored in most Christian circles because of this. In practicing mediation we often think of emptying our mind, but that’s not what God’s Word tells us mediation is: “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on His law day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2) “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Joshua 1:8) Memorization is the fuel needed to ignite the fires of mediation. Mediation, to put it simply, is weaving Scripture into your everyday life. When you get up in the morning fill your thoughts with promises from God. If a worry should arise, fight it with an assurance from God’s Word. With temptation, draw upon what you’re learned from Scripture. The more Scripture we commit to memory, the more our thoughts will align with God’s.
Memorization and mediation are useless unless we initiate what you learn. In other words, put yourself in situations and circumstances that will require you to practice the truths you cling to. Just as memorizing math equations, history facts, or science theories was pointless unless they were put in practice, the same goes with memorization and mediation. Look for opportunities that’ll help you grow and mature in your walk with Christ. If you struggle with impatience, choose to stand in a long line at the grocery store. If you’re working on your anger, recognize where and when you get angry, and work on changing your character. Don’t be afraid of change and completely avoid it. You cannot grow without putting yourself out there and making yourself vulnerable. Ask God to provide these opportunities and develop a tenacity to keep working on your character even when you fail or fall into bad habits. Trust in Him above all else.
Lastly and most importantly, once we initiate we must follow through and take action. Recall what we’ve learned, make it meaningful, and develop a Christ-like character. The practice of application makes all the difference. It separates those who blend in with the world and those who stand above the rest. Mediocrity from magnificence. A life of frustration to a life of freedom. Disappointment from contentment. As Jesus tells us: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24) The storms of life will come but we cannot be shaken with Christ as our foundation. And this starts with putting God’s Word into practice.
Many Christians today hear the message, understand it, but do nothing about it. They’re at a loss for God’s Word. It’s easy to assume our lives are just fine the way things are. “I’m good enough and don’t need to change….” is our greatest defense when we feel convicted and moved by reading or hearing the Word. With this attitude, application is not possible. Knowing the truth isn’t enough. The Christian life is a alignment of the mind, the heart, and the will. You have to be willing to change. Open yourself up and let God change you from the inside out. Be persistent. Develop strong disciplines. And keep God’s Word close to your heart. Turn memorization to application and you’ll be amazed at the amazing implications!
Radiant Reflection: We’ve come a long ways over the past few months in this series. I hope you’ve grown vastly in your spiritual walk as you’ve begun to apply these truths you’ve learned about God’s Word. This week take a look at where you are in regards to memorizing Scripture, mediation, and turning God’s Word into a daily application:
1) Do I currently practice memorization of Scripture in my daily life? Why or why not?
2) How did I best memorize facts, figures, principles, etc. in school? What are some strategies that may help me in memorizing Scripture today?
3) Why is mediation important in my walk with Christ? How is mediation different to Christians than other religions/worldviews?
4) What does initiation in regards to the process of application? Why is it necessary to take this step before application?
5) What verse/passage can I learn today that I need to commit to memory to help develop a Christ-like character? What time of day/amount of time is best for me? Spend time in prayer asking God to help you start making memorization and mediation of His Word a daily practice in your life.
Can You Hear Me Now?: Your challenge this week doesn’t necessarily have to be completed right away, but when you feel ready. **See below** It is this: Memorize the first chapter of the book of James. Once your memorize the first chapter of James, memorize the 2nd chapter, then the 3rd until you’ve committed the entire book of James to memory. This may seem like an impossible task at first glance. If you’ve struggling with it after a week or two, pick a smaller book to start off with such as Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, or Jude. There is no time limit for this–remember to stay disciplined, work on it slowly, and above all else apply it’s truths to your life. I can assure you that it can be done and if you spilt it up verse by verse, chapter by chapter it is manageable. You’ll be amazed at the powerful implications that memorizing Scripture has on your life!
** If you haven’t developed the practice of memorizing Scripture do not tackle this challenge for at least a month or even a few months! Instead choose a habit that needs addressed, memorize a short passage a week, and start there. Then come back to this challenge.**
Future Features: We are now finished the 10 part series on Learning, Living, and Loving God’s Word. This series took a little longer than I wanted it to, but are still on track to begin a brand new series next week that I’ve been longing to write for quite some time. Our next series will be on the Evidence and Significance of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ that will take us through the month of September. For news on everything else going on with SHOUT IT Ministries please read my previous blog written on August 12 titled, “Focusing on the Features for the Fall and Future.” God Bless!
Sources: Howard G. Hendricks, Living By the Book, Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL: 1991, 2007, Pages 324-327
http://www.memoryverses.org/how1d.htm
